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Friday, October 25, 2013

Phillip Dickinson here. We are now in our last city / congregation in Colombia. God has blessed tremendously in the services in Medellin and Cartegena. Tonight we began in Bogota. Jimmy and Farly Ramirez and David Spivey and I noticed that the service tonight seemed strained, dry, and difficult. The message was anointed and led of God and preached out of a heart of prayer and compassion. But we feel that there is a Spiritual battle here and we need God. Also, Bro. Spivey needs a physical touch. Thanks for Praying!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Thanks for praying for Bro. Byron and I as we are in Lima, Peru. We have been seeing the hand of God in all of this and are leaving tomorrow greatly encouraged in God's providential working. God has been sending people across our paths and we are expecting to see a holiness church here someday.

Please Pray for the trip to Colombia now. Bro. Spivey and I will be traveling to each of the congregations and preaching and teaching. I greatly feel the need of the Holy Spirit to do HIS office work. I appreciate you praying! -pdd

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Oh, how sad it makes me when people try to evaluate the
condition of God’s holy church by appearances, by surveys, and by
comparisons.I cannot watch.I have to look away lest my faith be hindered
or lest I be tempted to contend.Why
must I look away? Most evaluations are
done by those who are impressed with numbers and with influence. Why must I look away?Because the kingdom of God
cometh not with observation.

The “numbers
and influence” evaluation game is a dangerous two edged sword.1.) If all seems to be going exceptionally
well, many fall into pride at the survey results and then God’s Spirit is
grieved, leaves us, and we are left operating and progressing in the
flesh.2.) If the survey results are not
what the leaders think they should be, the sheep are often browbeat to do
something, change things, or start being like another part of the religious or
secular world which has the results which they
like.Then methods, mission statements, grand
causes, long term strategies, and much more human machinery is dreamed up by
men who presume to take upon themselves the work of the Blessed Holy
Spirit.

These movement evaluators long
to have a better plan, to hire a sharper strategist, or to form more clever think
tanks with more titled and successful members to this end.These self-appointed strategists compare the
tiny bit which they can see of Christ’s holy church with unfair growth
models.They whip the faithful few they
see around them with guilt for not equaling past moves of God which are not how
God Spirit is choosing to move today. In
an indirect way they compare those few of Christ’s church whom they see around
them with carnal churches which are filling their fine auditoriums by appealing
to the flesh and tossing to the wind so much precious truth. They unwisely compare the wee bit of Christ’s
holy church which they see to smart Fortune 500 business type principles. With a heavenward sigh they say “if only the
deacons, presbytery, and bishops could be taught the right growth principles or
be able to articulate the right passion, others would follow and our part of
the church would grow.”God’s
conditional promises are forgotten for Dale Carnegie’s smooth winsome and
influencing principles.It’s as if they
think that Jesus said, “YE will build my church.”Now if only we could just get it right, we’d
see things start to happen.

Powerful
alliances must be won for their funds and for their influence. We have articulated well our missional and
doctrinal statements and have ensconced them in bronze and polished walnut. And we have seated our abrasive prophets lest
they thunder a mispronounced word of God’s message to us and cause confusion
and lost momentum.Formidable academics and
gleaming genius are praised and exalted as if they were the key to usefulness
in Christ’s great kingdom.And the same
ones wonder why God isn’t moving as much in the most lettered nations.Also, scary screams and cries from shouting
simple saints make some feel squeamish, so the services are carefully
controlled with the secret hope that emotional saints stay away.Venerable guests from the “mainline” churches
might be offended by such uncalled for outbursts.These church evaluators don’t appreciate the
spirit of these noisy outbursts.These
sincere praises and emotional noises bubble up from the same full heart of
worship as the childish cries of praise to Jesus Christ in Jerusalem’s temple.They forget that these emotional ones are
often those needed saints who are filled with the Spirit of God and have been moved
upon by the blessed Holy Spirit.They
don’t realize that to despise them is to despise the ways and the workings of
God’s Holy Spirit.Those trying to steer
the services and the movement are in danger of setting themselves up as judges
of what is and what isn’t of God’s Spirit and of calling the shots of what God should
and shouldn’t allow.Remember misjudging God’s
Spirit is very close to blasphemy.So
little by little the warming fire of God’s Spirit is grieved away and the
evaluating gate-keepers are left to their lukewarm selves and to their cold church
growth principles.

Leaders must never
forget that most of the church is made up of crude, unlettered, uncouth, and ugly
men who have been confronted by the Holy Spirit, given a new heart, filled with
love, and then sent to go and confront others while employing all of their
awful personality quirks but now with the blessing of God.These unrefined members of Christ’s body
don’t understand the “power” of positive thinking nor the “importance” of
impression management, nor would they care if they could understand.They do not feel the need to wow the world in
order to draw men to Christ, for they know they must glorify Christ and He
will do the drawing.They don’t usually
win prestigious awards, titles, degrees, or competitions. Often they are the most untalented, unnoticed,
and unwanted people in God’s church.Remember, Jesus Himself taught us about the kingdom of heaven with
leaven.And unlike that of earthly
kingdoms, the leavening agents work unnoticed, unseen, unheard, and untasted
until after the bread goes through the fire.If the leaven is seen, heard, noticed, and lauded for its fine flavor,
it probably is not leaven but something else.

It is good to look to mighty moves of God in the past and the
present to be challenged, encouraged, and to follow them as they follow Christ.But we must not compare God’s church around
us to others to induce guilt, to horse whip others to get movin’, or to speak
disparagingly of Christ’s despised and underestimated body.If we think we see cause for alarm we must
not wag the finger at the faithful, but rather cry out to God, for God is He who
moves men’s hearts.And we must compare
ourselves with the Word of God only, for God’s Spirit will use His Word to give
faith needed for God to work in us and through us.For they that compare themselves among
themselves are not wise.

Also those
leaders who compare their followers with others whom they admire often end up
causing their followers to be like those with whom they are compared with.The church leader who gushes about corporate
growth models turns his church into a secular type entity.The church leader who compares his church
with more worldly churches creates in his flock an admiration for worldly type
churches.The church leader who always
talks about performance, growth, methods, and evaluational surveys takes the
focus off of Christ and His promises.He
also creates the danger of following man’s reasonings and missing the direction
in which the Holy Spirit would want to lead them.For the ways of the Spirit are not known to
man and can be revealed to us only by the Spirit of God, not by group powwows.

If there be a problem in any holiness
churches, the answer lies not in fresh vision, newer plans, fresh styles, or in
articulate leadership, but rather in God’s promises.Look at the unlimited potential in the
following promises.Then note any conditions.For when we live in conformity to God’s
conditions, God lets us be a part of His holy church which is already
victoriously marching forward and will triumph.

For I will pourwater upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dryground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

And they
shall spring upas among the grass,
as willows by the water courses.

One shall
say, I am the LORD'S; and another shall callhimself
by the name of Jacob; (Isaiah 44:3-5a)

The LORD isnigh unto all them that call upon
him, to all that call upon him in truth.

He
will fulfil the desire of them that fear
him: he also will hear their cry,
and will save them.

The LORD preserveth
all them that love him:(Psalm
145:18-20a)

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in
his mercy.(Psalm 147:11)

Ask, and it shall be given you…(Matthew
7:7)

For every one that askethreceiveth…(Luke 11:10)

If ye abide in me, and my words
abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.(John 15:7)

Behold, I am the LORD, the God
of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?(Jeremiah 32:27)

The hand of our God is
upon all them forgood that seek
him; but his power and his wrath is
against all them that forsake him.

So we fasted and besought our God
for this:(Ezra 8:22b-23a)[if the context of “seek” is fasting and
prayer, then does “forsake him” imply neglect of fasting and prayer?]

…your heart shall live that seek God.(Psalm 69:32)

God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in
ceasing to pray for you:(1
Samuel 12:23)

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing
precious seed, shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing, bringing
his sheaveswith him.(Psalm 126:5-6)[The context is God turning the captivity of Zion; the Gentile church
also is now grafted into / a part of Spiritual Zion!]

the desire
of the righteousshall be granted.(Proverbs 10:24)

The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless
us;

He will bless
them that fear the LORD, bothsmall and great.

The LORD shall increase you more and more,
you and your children.

Ye areblessed of the LORD which made heaven
and earth.(Psalm 115:12a,13-15)

For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy;
I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that
is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite
ones.

For I will
not contend for ever…(Isaiah
57:15-16a)

Those of us who believe the Wesleyan
interpretation of the Bible believe that Christ will cause His church to fill
the earth.The Gentiles will greatly
turn to God.Israel will see this great blessing
of Christ on His church and will be jealous and will all be saved.This great final ingathering of Christ’s
church will be the latter rain corresponding to the early rain.Some think that this great harvest might be
brought on due to great afflictions caused as the earthly kingdoms break up and
fall so that Christ’s kingdom can fill the earth.

So, brethren, there is no need for us to
browbeat one another.The kingdom of
Christ, the stone will become a mountain and will fill the earth.It is Christ, not us but He who will build
His church.Our simple task is to abide
in Christ -- in simple faith do His will -- and to expectantly hope in His
promises.Let us diligently and
individually study to be found in Christ without spot and blameless.For He
will carefully guide us as a shepherd lovingly leads his flock, and the meek
shall inherit the earth.Soon it will be
Holiness Unto The Lord everywhere, throughout the whole church.Keep preaching that Christ came to make all
holy in heart and in life!The holiness
church will not be confounded; Christ will triumph!Don’t look around you; look up!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

If you long to receive rejuvenating energy, and to know secrets and life changing thoughts, go for a walk with God.

God
whispers to the man (or woman) and empowers him when he lives walking
with Him. Many times that walk need only be as long as the distance from
your comfortable bed or from the company of chattering friends to that
lonely kneeling spot away from the rabble of life.

When walking with God, the best is that he comes to know God Himself as an intimate friend.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Where are you going, Greatheart,With your eager face and your fiery grace? Where are you going, Greatheart?

"To fight a fight with all my might,
For Truth and Justice, God and Right,
To grace all Life with His fair Light."Then God go with you, Greatheart!

Where are you going, Greatheart?
"To beard the Devil in his den;
To smite him with the strength of ten'
To set at large the souls of men."Then God go with you, Greatheart! Where are you going, Greatheart?
"To cleanse the earth of noisome things;
To draw from life its poison stings;
To give free play to Freedom's wings." Then God go with you, Greatheart!

Where are you going, Greatheart?
"To lift Today above the Past;
To make Tomorrow sure and fast;
To nail God's colors to the mast." Then God go with you, Greatheart!

Where are you going, Greatheart?
"To break down old dividing lines;
To carry out my Lord's designs;
To build again His broken shrines." Then God go with you, Greatheart!

Where are you going, Greatheart?
"To set all burdened peoples free;
To win for all God's liberty;
To 'stablish His sweet sovereignty." God go with you, Greatheart!John Oxenham

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Romans 12 teaches us how to order our daily relationships. In reading and studying Romans, I found some jewels from others which I want to share with you. It shows how I want to be through Christ.

John Fletcher was a dear minister and a friend and defender of John Wesley. The following incident speaks of Fletcher's loving Christ-like spirit.

Thomas Reader became so angry at John Fletcher's Last Check to Antimomianism that he traveled all the way to Madeley to rebuke the author. Upon his arrival Fletcher exclaimed, "Come in, come in, thou blessed of the Lord! Am I so honored as to receive a visit from so esteemed a servant of my Master? Let us have a little prayer, while refreshments are getting ready." Reader reported that he never so enjoyed three days of such spiritual and profitable conversation in all his life, but was never able to muster enough courage to even allude to the purpose of his visit.

I want to be so Christ-like and have so much of God's love that all around are drawn toward heavenly things and away from petty strife. I want to be magnanimous with even my enemies. Joseph Benson told us, "Be generous with our enemies. Be patient with God. Be humble toward self."

John Wesley wrote, "The longer I live, the larger allowances I make for
human infirmities. I exact more from myself and less from others."

This is similar to the words I have written in my Bible. "To others a heart of love, to self a heart of steel, to God a heart of fire!"

I want to bless ALL with my prayers; yes, even my enemies. Adam Clarke said, "Pray for the same good for all which you desire for yourselves."

And to my brethren, I want to esteem them better than myself, I want to show them honor and preference. I like how Clarke put it, "Consider all your brethren as more worthy than yourself."

When we walk in perfect love toward God and others, we will not return evil for evil, but rather good for evil. And in so doing we will heap coals of fire on their head. This will help lead them to repentance. In reference to heaping coals of fire, Samuel Wesley wrote,

"So artists melt the sullen ore of lead,
By heaping coals of fire upon its head:
In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow,
And pure from dross the silver runs below."

The Amplified Bible mentions that heaping coals of fire is a picture of the ministry of the high priest on the day of atonement (Lev. 16:12). The coals of fire created a fragrant cloud which covered the mercy seat and which God accepted for atonement. I think that Romans 12 is hinting that by returning good for evil, we help save their souls. We help save them, not only in the way that Moses prayed for those who were against him, turning God's wrath away from them. But also as said Augustine, that the coals of fire heaped upon our enemies heads are the burning pangs of shame or anguish which lead them to repentance.

And remember, showing mercy and loving one who doesn't deserve it, makes us like God. God in His great grace enables us to be like Him in order to show others how loving and merciful is God really is.

- Phillip

[some of the quotes found in A Fundamental Wesleyan Commentary on Romans, by Vic Reasoner]

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Thank you, thank you for praying for our Colombian revival services last week with Bro. Becker and Bro. Eisenhart preaching! I know that people from all over the world have been fasting and praying for this effort. God has been glorified!

The teaching and preaching were anointed of God.
God came with a special sense of His presence. Nearly every service brought praying around the altar. And most present sought after God, if not for themselves, in helping to pray for others.

God brought several new ones in and saved several souls from their sins and at least three more were sanctified wholly. Tears, crying out to God, and victories marked the services. Several ladies came from the beauty salons around the church and to my understanding two of the beauticians sought God around the altar and became believers. Praise God for making them hungry for the beauty of holiness.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

January 14, our pastor Carl Eisenhart and our mission
director Mark Becker should arrive in Colombia
to preach a revival effort through the week and teach Bible classes.We desire God.God has been answering your prayers.Over and over again in these special efforts God has melted the church
here with love, tears, and seeking after Him and His holiness.Last time, when Joseph Smith and Stephanie Smith came various ones testified to God
entirely sanctifying them.Different
ones walked in new light and visibly changed.Since then we
have been seeing more growth both spiritually and numerically.Just in the last few weeks a couple with deep
spiritual needs have started coming and plan to be at the revival effort.

God's precious Holy Spirit is moving upon hearts so please continue to pray, and pray for our brothers preaching and teaching.Pray for the one translating.Pray for those listening.Please continue to help us pray that Christ
is enthroned in every heart and that all continue to grow in the knowledge,
wisdom, and love of Jesus Christ. If God enables you to fast too, that is always a great blessing. May
God save, entirely sanctify, and help every one possible to grow in Him.Pray that holiness advances into other parts
of Colombia
and beyond!

Imagine!When all industry
promoting the last word in glamour around the world are destroyed by fire, when
her supermodels and jet set have passed away like a trail of vapor, when all profane
fashion designers are but dust and ashes, and when the makers, promoters, and
sellers of jewelry, makeup, and sensual trends are perished from the earth, then
the remaining church having passed through the fire will no longer concern
themselves with their vanities.

Salon sculpted
eyebrows, the most recent eyeliner technique, or which makeup foundation seems
most natural will be so old-world.The cut
and color -- obsolete -- will no longer be associated with women’s
hairdos.Instead, natural length, simple
femininity, and glory will describe our ladies’ tresses.

Name brands in vogue today will be decidedly
passé to the remnant.Words describing
dress such as “hot,” “cool,” “trendy,” “sassy,” “curvy,” “leggy,” “revealing,” “split,”
“low cut,” or “short” will be considered so yesterday.

The new fashion will be quality which
reflects modesty, humility, and sobriety.And it will not be a passing seasonal fad.The popular “name brand” on many items will
be Holiness Unto The Lord™!

The
remaining church with a passion for this beauty of holiness will display Bible
standards to the survivors on earth.And
this fashion standard will be backed by the Lawgiver who designed it.For He will rule the nations with a rod of
iron.

Note:The coming fire
means different things to the world and to the church.To the world it will be judgment fire.To the church it shall be refining fire.All works of wood, hay, and stubble will eventually
burn up and pass away.Only works of
gold, silver, and precious jewels will survive, be purified, and will shine
even brighter throughout eternity.
Remember, precious flock, the lesson found in the great flood, in the
plagues of Egypt, and in Sodom.Every time God’s judgments rained down upon
the earth, God mercifully protected His elect.Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh!

Monday, January 7, 2013

What is the best thing that I can do to build the kingdom of God?Is it excellence in Christian education for my children?Is it rich tradition and pinpoint doctrinal
accuracy?Is it warmly talking of our
heritage in order to produce a love for this in others around us?

As much as I love all of these, I have seen
this often mistaken for what is best, for what is necessary.

To build the kingdom
of God, I must build the kingdom of God.I know that this sounds silly, but many Christians do the first three
points but never do anything to build the kingdom of God.

I can educate and refine my children until
they be slick, CEO type, motor-mouths capable of running any Christian
organization -- all vanity, unless they are humble and filled with the Holy Spirit.

I can lovingly publish,
talk, and embrace our rich traditions and doctrines for my children and others until
they be rooted in the richest traditions of the most orthodox doctrines -- good. But they could also become formal and liturgically sound in their worship, thinking, and
ways -- not good.

I can gushingly tell of our
heroes, saints, and ministers until our children love the same and follow them as they follow Christ. And this is good.

But
unless I build the kingdom
of God I am only building
tradition and human machinations.

What
does it mean to build the kingdom
of God?

It first means to let this kingdom reign in
my heart.This means a clear testimony
to salvation from all sins and a cleansing from all inbred sin.This means forsaking all to follow Christ –
forsaking self, lesser things that I love, comfort, rights, opinion,
popularity, power, authority, and anything else that we humans try to
manipulate to “build” our personal reputation, empire, or comfort zones rather
than God’s kingdom.This means praying
and interceding much until I know what God wants me to do and be for Him, even
at the cost of never being known or noticed.It means to even then to continue to pray much and for others.It means forsaking all in order for yourself
and for others to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

We often speak of the act of forsaking all
necessary to know Christ.But so few after
the initial forsaking, continue to forsake all in order to help as many as
necessary know Christ.But this very
thing is building the kingdom
of God.

We often have not forsaken enough to spend
much time in prayer or in seeking to know Him through His Word.Nor have we forsaken enough to bring as many as possible to
Christ.Our lives are too cluttered and
busy with other things we love.

But in the end we have just that and no more.Where is God's glory and presence? Where am I? Am I dead to sin and the flesh and alive unto God? Where are the new souls won and discipled to
Christian perfection and beyond?Where
are the new churches -- not new church buildings -- but rather where are the
new congregations?Where are the new
mission fields, not hand-me-downs as precious and as needed as they be also?

I know that many play a hidden part in such
highly visual works and this is good, for God does not call many to full time ministry.But we all must ascertain that all our passions are in building God’s
kingdom and not in building pious but lesser interests.Nor am I speaking against local church
loyalty, for I know that God has ordained His kingdom to be advanced from the
framework of loyalty to the local church.

But our greatest longing and striving must be to love and glorify God,
and then labor to bring souls to perfection in Him.This alone
will build the kingdom
of God.

About Me

You are welcome to take a peek into our exciting lives! We have served Jesus for nearly 8 years in Colombia and nearly 2 years in Argentina! Now that we are serving our people with missions trips from out of the States, we will also be ministering via digital and written ministry in Spanish and English for those that are on the field. We so appreciate all of y'all's prayers for us! None of this would be possible if it weren't for a team effort of you and others like you. God has been doing great things, let's ask and expect more from Him! We are a close family that loves to do things together. Those things include sharing God's love, going places together, baking and having company, singing, and thanking God for each moment! We are delighted with our 6 sweet children with which God has blessed us, and love being a "team" for Jesus! ~Heather~